Indomitable
by Magi Mana
Summary: Talesverse. One-shot. After the tragedy of Zero Reverse, Rex Goodwin seeks closure on the loss of those closest to him. Dedicated in memory of my wonderful grandma.


_**Be forewarned this is a long author's note. **__**I started this about two weeks ago, and I was going to post it with a different ending after I updated **__**Tales of Academia**__**, (because this story is in the same universe as that) but then Sunday night happened.**_

_**On Sunday, December 8, 2019, my grandmother died.**_

_**Grandma K. was a great lady. She was one of my primary babysitters growing up, and she always had a vested interest in her grandkids' activities. She collected our papers, photos, drawings, you name it, of what we did. And this was a woman who didn't speak a word of anime, cartoon, sci-fi, fantasy, movie, pop culture, any of it. I would make some reference and she would respond with "That's all Greek to me" to which I would answer "Actually it's _" filling the blank with whatever the relevant thing was. But that didn't matter to her. I worked on a storybook for the Dungeons & Dragons Club I was in during my last year of college, and she wanted a copy. She never played D&D in her life. She didn't even know what it was. It didn't matter to her. I worked on it, she wanted it. The same for the fantasy novella I wrote my honors' project (which I need to seriously edit before I'm ready for it to see the publishing world). I wrote it and so she was going to have it. She didn't read the genre but she was going to read mine, and she at least got through a few chapters of it. I don't know if she ever finished it.**_

_**And then she was the first family member I gave my fanfiction profile link to. I didn't talk about my fanfictions with anyone IRL (I've opened up about it since then, but it's still pretty limited when it comes to people outside this site). But when it slipped out that I was posting stories online, Grandma K. wanted me to put them on her computer so she could read them. She was never particularly tech-savvy (I don't know how many times I tried to explain that what she sees in her Facebook newsfeed was not the same as what someone else saw), but she had the link to my profile. I don't know if she ever read them, but I pulled the link up a few times and tried to explain the concept of Yu-Gi-Oh! to her who-knows-how-many times.**_

_**Grandma K. was many things. Stubborn (she very seldom took 'no' for an answer), supportive (she loved telling people that I worked at Hobby Lobby or that I was doing obituaries at my local newspaper), loving, funny. I suppose it's hard to make it almost 93 years (her birthday would have been the end of next month) without a certain amount of any of that, even if she drove us crazy at times. **__**I'm always going to miss her. And this story is dedicated to her.**_

_**I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!. It belongs to Kazuki Takahashi. I also don't own the song "Indomitable." That and the lyrics belong to Jeff Williams, Casey Lee Williams, and RoosterTeeth. And I obviously don't own the Monty Oum quote that appears towards the end. But I do own the spirit of this story.**_

_**This one's for you, Grandma.**_

* * *

Indomitable

Rex shook the rainwater off his coat in the doorway of the chapel. The waiting area was quite full, almost as full as the one where Joan and Sterling had gotten married. Rex let out a bitter smile at that. That day had been joyous. His brother was by his side, and two of his closest friends vowed to spend the rest of their lives together.

Rex guessed they had gotten that part right.

He slipped past the attendant with the guest book and grabbed a program. Given what happened, Rex probably wouldn't be that welcome. As much as Roman had led the way, Rex had followed him. And that path brought him to the funeral of his best friends and a dragon mark locked away where no one would find it. He couldn't even guess what was happening to Roman.

Rex sat in the back pew, underneath the balcony. With the dim lighting and secluded spot, no one was sure to notice him. And he could observe everything, including the blond man sitting in front of the caskets. Rex wasn't sure what to think of there being only two. He had no idea the condition they found Joan and Sterling in, but the fact they couldn't even find little Yusei was almost too much. He wasn't even a year old. Sterling tried to send Yusei to his family, but the baby never arrived. He was probably buried with the rest of the dead in the newly formed Satellite.

"Hey, I got the video set up." Rex looked to the woman who came in carrying two children. It was easy enough to recognize Mana, Joan's closest friend, with her son, Mahad. How old was he now? Three?

"Dada," the little blonde girl in Mana's other arm reached for the man, her violet eyes lighting up. It dawned on Rex who the man was now: Max Wheeler, Joan's cousin who acted more like her big brother. His protectiveness of his cousin and her husband was almost a running joke between them.

"Come here, Mai," Max took his daughter from his friend and held her tight. "Mana, why did this happen?"

"I don't know," Mana hugged her own child. Rex's heart ached for them. Joan and Sterling would never hold their child again. And the children in the chapel would never get to play with Yusei.

"Has Airi found anything out?" Max choked out.

"If she has, she hasn't said anything," Mana answered. She looked to her right at something Rex couldn't see. "Yeah, we can expect she won't let it go. You know how she is with her Kaiba fury. Those responsible will be dealt with."

"But it won't bring them back," Max's gaze dropped to the ground. "I barely got to be an uncle."

"Don't talk like that," Mana wrapped her free arm around her friend's shoulders. "Blood isn't everything. Remember your dad was just as much Atem's and my uncle as Joan's. And we all call Aunt K that no matter how we're related. So I expect you to still be an awesome uncle to Mahad, just like I'm going to spoil Mai and the new baby like crazy."

"What would I do without you?" Max leaned into her.

"Probably sit in the dark wallowing in grief," she gave a half-smile, but a tear slid down her cheek.

"Yeah," Max stood up, still holding his daughter. "I'd better go greet people." He headed for the door.

"I'll go hit play and then join you." Mana got up as well, leaving Rex alone in the chapel.

He couldn't help pondering what he'd overheard. He'd always known the group was close, but family despite blood? For the longest time, Rex could only count on Roman, his brother. They were thick as thieves growing up, and they were the exception in the family. Their parents were never around, and Rex was pretty sure they hated whatever other family they had. He envied how close the Fudos' family was.

Rex's mind also drifted to the mention of Ms. Kaiba. She had ordered the project shutdown, but Roman won the other investors to his side. If Airi Kaiba's reputation was to be believed, none of those men would have a job after this. Who knew what she would do to Rex once she found out his role in the mess?

Not that he could hurt more than he already did.

The screen at the front came to life as music started playing. _The Lives of Joan and Sterling Fudo._

_I met a man, he had a dream,_

_I tried to understand, but nothing was what it seemed._

_Sometimes, that's how gods roll._

_We'd sit for hours; he'd share his plans_

_to build a universe and make every part by hand._

_A big scheme, with an infinite goal_

An auburn-haired woman held a small baby with hazel-grey eyes. Next to them was a brunet man with the proud smile only a father could own. Rex had met Tristan and Serenity Taylor on occasion when they stopped by the lab. They were good people.

The next image was a much more serious couple with a black-haired baby. The woman had spikey red hair and cobalt eyes, and the man had short black hair with dark brown eyes. The baby between them had his mother's eyes and stiff hair with his father's coloring. Rex chuckled to himself at how Sterling would react if he knew his baby pictures were being shown. Sterling rather liked his composed and in charge image.

_So I would watch and listen and try to learn_

_as pieces and bits became whole._

_But there was more going on than the work at hand._

_What I learned had to do with the strength of the soul_

The pictures alternated between the couple as their childhoods were displayed. Joan playing with other children, including Max and Mana. Her smile was as wide as the sky in almost all of them. Sterling's were more reserved, the smile of someone told to look nice and behave. Rex knew that kind of smile all too well. It was the main feature of the mask he had carefully constructed his entire life. He could count on one hand the number of people who had seen his real smile.

_There's a light that shines_

_and its power is mine._

_Though our body's weak and breakable,_

_the spirit is indomitable._

Rex paused as the lyrics of the song sunk in, accompanied by the image of Joan and Sterling at Duel Academy—her in a red uniform and him in a yellow one. The dragon mark was supposed to be a power of light, a power that Roman had entrusted to him. Power that Rex was supposed to now wield.

_So step by step, and frame by frame,_

_A world created; it's a map fashioned from a stain._

_Just dream big, and work 'til it grows._

_I learned this lesson; we can evolve,_

_achieving anything as long as our heart's resolved._

_Believing will make it so_

Now that the couple had met, the pictures showed them together. They drew drawing plans for new equipment in some and fixed duel disks and other contraptions in others. In one, they sang karaoke together. In others, they sat with other Duel Academy students, pouring over cards like their lives depended on it. Ironic since neither of them considered themselves to be duelists. But that was the nature of Duel Academy.

And it was obvious to anyone who knew them how much they loved each other.

_Though our lives are limited by years on earth,_

_our dreams won't be bound inside._

_The goal's not to live forever_

'_cause eternity loves the creations of time._

Rex was in awe of the designs in the backgrounds of the pictures. After all their work, he would know Ener-D designs when he saw them. Rex couldn't believe Joan and Sterling had started working on the idea when they were teenagers.

_There's a light that shines,_

_and its power is mine._

_Though our body's weak and breakable,_

_the spirit is indomitable._

Rex let himself smile at the artistic depictions of the couple, likely the work of Industrial Illusions artist Chumley Huffington. Joan stood with her signature card, Guardian Angel Joan, behind her, radiating light. She had mentioned her parents named her after the St. Joan card, one that had come to their aid in some bizarre adventure. It fit her so well. She was the angel that kept their hope alive.

Sterling's image was more cosmic. Stardust Dragon flew behind him, across a field of stars. Rex's heart sank at the majestic dragon. It had been Roman's idea to code the reactor and cards after the legend of the Crimson Dragon. Maximillion Pegasus loved the idea and used the legend as inspiration for the very first synchro monsters. And Sterling was the shooting star blazing their trail.

_Don't be afraid_

_Get up, get going a step every day._

_I'll meet you there_

_When we strive, we transcend_

_even death cannot end our climb_

Rex blinked away tears as the pictures showed him and Roman meeting the Fudos. Like Rex, Roman had mastered the polite smile. But working on the planetary particle and Ener-D had been where they could show their real smiles. There were no ulterior motives among the scientists. Just a genuine desire to make something new. Part of Rex never wanted the project to end.

_I wasn't ready; you can't prepare_

_for the unthinkable, for something that's so unfair._

_It's cruel, but that's how life goes_

His fist clenched as the lyrics matched his sentiments. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair that Joan and Sterling were gone. They were supposed to see Ener-D start a new wave of technology. They should have been raising Yusei, giving him a bright future.

It wasn't fair that Roman was lost to the shadows. He was supposed to be by his side, guiding him like the big brother he was. He was supposed to wield the dragon mark. If the legend were true, Roman should have been fighting the shadows, not falling to them.

It wasn't fair that Rex had to go on alone. He wanted his brother and friends by his side. He wanted to go back to working on the project. Before the reactor exploded. Before Roman betrayed Sterling. Before everything fell apart.

_But through the sadness, thousands of tears,_

_We see his message, sparkling and crystal clear._

_Our work is larger than we know_

Their work was larger. Despite the tragedy of Zero Reverse, the technology was moving forward. Airi Kaiba seemed determined to honor the Fudos' memory and not let their deaths be in vain. Rex had spotted prototype duel runners on the street. Rumor was Seto Kaiba had come out of retirement to help code the autopilot to make the duels safer.

_There's a light that shines_

_And its power is mine._

_Though our body's weak and breakable,_

_the spirit is indomitable._

Rex wiped his tears away as pictures of Yusei entered the fray. Roman had a huge smile as he held the infant. The next showed Rex holding him as Joan laughed at his worried expression—Rex had been so afraid of dropping the poor boy. He had vowed never again; he didn't want the responsibility ever again.

What he would give to hold Yusei one more time.

He looked up just in time to see the photo Joan and Sterling kept on their desks. Joan held baby Yusei and wore her mother-proud grin. Rex admired how her smiles always reached her eyes. Sterling had his arm wrapped around her, his fatherly smile lighting up his face. Yusei had his wide-mouthed grin and reached up for Joan's hair—his favorite plaything.

The pictured faded to reveal a quote.

"_I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen if given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death.__"_

—Monty Oum

Rex read the familiar words over and over again. Joan loved that quote. Her face lit up as she imagined how far the possibilities of Ener-D would go. Even when the project was going to be shut down, it didn't faze her. She just quoted that line and said that their effort would amount to something. Rex suspected she and Sterling had already been looking into alternatives, a version of Ener-D that would not explode like that the one Roman detonated.

And she died before she could see it happen. But her designs were transcending herself, working its way into a new era of dueling. It was only a matter of time before synchro monsters were released to the public.

He placed a hand over his breast pocket, feeling the three dragons he so carefully protected. Sterling's last words to him were to protect the keys, and he would. And somehow he'd track down the one Sterling lost in his escape from Roman.

The video ended, and the minister took his place at the podium. Rex didn't listen to him as the song and quote played over and over in his mind. It was easy to imagine Joan singing it; she always hummed or sang along to whatever music was playing. But the concept. _The spirit is indomitable._ It felt so true.

When the funeral finished, Rex slipped out of the chapel with a final, silent farewell to his friends. He would always miss them, always treasure the time they spent together. With time, the pain of their deaths would fade, but the memories would not. And Rex would honor their memory by finishing their work and ending the conflict that took them away.

After all, the spirit was indomitable.


End file.
